Harry Potter and the Scary Needles
by Katie Alden
Summary: Four year old Harry has finally moved to a town where he can play outside. But a brief visit to the park has Sirius stressed about Muggle germs. What will happen when Harry has to get his needles? Written for QLFC Season 7 Round 4


**Written for QLFC Season 7 Round 4. Chaser 2: Write a story based on and including the dialogue "Now this is exactly why the doctor changed his number on us." Fresh Prince of Bel-Air**

**Additional prompts: (action) hide; (creature) hippogriff; [quote] 'You know what they say about truth and the appearance of truth being opposites.' — The Power, Naomi Alderman.**

**Word count: 2894**

**Disclaimer: I do not agree with the opinions briefly expressed in this story regarding the anti-vax movement. Please, please get your children vaccinated. Additionally, I am aware that the movement hadn't really started in the mid-80's, however for the purpose of this story it had.**

**Finally, this story occurs in an AU where Sirius went straight to Dumbledore and thus was never charged with james and Lily's deaths. He and Remus have been raising Harry since that Halloween.**

**Harry Potter and the Scary Needles**

It was a warm, sunny day, and Harry was taking full advantage of the beautiful weather. Moony had warned him that it was going to get cold soon but today was unseasonably warm and perfect for exploring his new neighbourhood.

They had just moved to the little white cottage on the edge of a country town, and Harry was excited. Padfoot had told him stories of another little cottage where he had lived with Mummy and Daddy, but the only home he remembered had been small and dark, and he hadn't been allowed outside because of the busy streets. Now he had a big backyard to run and play in, and he was sure he'd seen a playground at the other end of the road. Playgrounds meant children, and he was off to find some friends.

Sirius grunted as he lifted the last box out of the car. Moving day really would have been easier with magic, but they had agreed to live in a Muggle neighbourhood, and so magic was out of the question until he was inside. It wasn't the first time that he had questioned their decision to move here, but he couldn't deny the benefits.

Ever since Lily and James' death almost four years ago, he had been raising Harry with Remus in the tiny flat they had shared in London. It was small, dark, cold, and the neighbourhood was no place for an energetic little boy. Not to mention the high population density made it difficult to avoid signs of magic being noticed by the surrounding Muggles. To stay was out of the question, and so they had chosen this quiet neighbourhood to start again. They would still have to live as Muggles outside of the home, but a private block of land with high hedges surrounding the yard would make that a lot easier.

"Sirius, where's Harry?"

Sirius had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't heard Remus coming, resulting in a meeting between the heavy box and his foot.

"I thought he was inside with you?" Sirius was concerned.

Remus was usually very attentive to Harry, so this question came as a surprise to him.

"He was getting restless inside, so I told him to come out to you. Have you not seen him?"

"No, the last time I saw him was when he was searching for his Hippogriff among his boxes."

"That was an hour ago!" Remus sounded more worried than Sirius was used to from his level-headed best mate. "I sent him outside about twenty minutes ago Sirius, where could he have gone?"

Inwardly, Sirius had already started panicking. He tried to stay calm. Remus often teased him for being highly-strung when it came to Harry, and he knew that if he panicked for no reason he would never live it down.

"Maybe he is just hiding," Sirius suggested, hoping Remus hadn't noticed the wobble in his voice, "he's been playing hide and seek with me ever since he learned it at playgroup last week."

"You search outside, and I'll search inside. He couldn't have gone far Sirius."

Meanwhile, Harry was having the time of his life. He had struggled with the gate at first, but he had managed to get it open using a combination of climbing and a big stick. He had even remembered to leave his stuffed Hippogriff behind before entering the Muggle world. Padfoot and Moony would be proud.

He had been a bit worried at first about what way to turn outside the gate, but a quiet moment of reflection had allowed him to hear the sounds of laughter to the right, and a quick trot down the road revealed the playground he had seen earlier.

To his delight, it was full of children around his age. With a shout of joy Harry ran to join the group around the swing set. This was the best new house ever!

Remus was trying to stay calm for Sirius, but he was starting to panic. It had been almost an hour since either of them had seen Harry, and there wasn't a sign of him anywhere. The irony of the situation did not escape him - they had moved so that Harry could grow up in a safer neighbourhood, and yet they had lost him in the first afternoon.

He was about to start his third sweep through the house when he heard Sirius scream. Sprinting out the side door he saw Sirius kneeling beside the garden gate cradling something to his chest. Remus felt his heart stop, and then restart when he realised that the object was too small to be Harry.

It was, however, almost as alarming. After the events in Godric's Hollow, Harry had lost all of his possessions. One of the first things they had bought for him was a stuffed Hippogriff, and he had never been seen without it since. Yet here it was, without Harry.

"The gate was open." Remus felt his blood run cold at Sirius' words. A four-year-old on an open road was a recipe for disaster, and Harry could have gotten very far in the past hour. Unless…

"Sirius, we passed a playground on the way in, and Harry was asking when we could go. Maybe he decided to explore on his own." Sharing a quick glance, the two friends sprinted through the gate and down the road. If Harry wasn't at the park, they didn't know what they would do.

Harry had been having the time of his life. So far he had played tag, and one of the bigger kids had pushed him on the swing. He was just about to start on a sand castle when he heard his name. Looking up, he saw Padfoot and Moony running towards him, worry etched on their faces. Uh oh. Harry hadn't thought about the fact that he'd run away, but now he knew he'd be in trouble. Padfoot and Moony didn't have many rules, but he knew he had broken the golden one - always say where you're going.

He opened his mouth to apologise - he'd learnt that owning up to his mistakes and admitting when he was in the wrong went a long way with Padfoot and Moony - when a group of children ran past. Dry, cold sand flew into his face, leaving him choking and his eyes watering. It was one of the worst feelings he could remember, beaten only by that of pepperup potion, but it was soon over, and he was ready to face his guardians. However instead of the expected scolding, Sirius abruptly picked Harry up and practically ran with him back to the house. Harry looked to Moony for answers, yet he looked just as confused as Harry felt. What was going on?

"Sirius, what in the name of Merlin is going on?" Remus had never been more confused. He had expected Sirius to scold Harry for his actions, and then he would likely let him go back to playing while they supervised. But instead he had raced home, and was now busy piling jackets and blankets on the boy - in July.

"How can you be so calm, Remus? Harry could be seriously ill!" Sirius had an almost manic gleam to his eye, and his face was paler than it had been since James and Lily had died.

"He inhaled a bit of sand, Sirius, he isn't sick. Harry, do you feel ill?"

"No Moony. Just hot."

"See! He has a fever!" Remus couldn't believe his friend. Had he actually gone mad?

"Sirius, he's hot because it's summer and you've covered him in at least six layers. A bit of sand can't make him sick."

"Remus, he's never lived around Muggles before. Who knows what he could pick up from them? I'm taking him to the doctor right now."

"Sirius - " It was too late, Sirius had already grabbed Harry and run back out of the door. Remus shook his head in disbelief. The poor doctor didn't know what was about to hit him.

"Mr Black, I don't understand. You said Harry got sand in his mouth?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Harry, do you feel ill? Any headaches, sick stomach, or dizziness?"

"No, Doctor. Can I go home now?"

"Yes, I think so, Harry. Mr Black, I can't find anything wrong with Harry. He seems to be a perfectly healthy four-year-old. You have nothing to worry about."

"But you don't understand. Harry is very susceptible to illness. He could catch anything."

"Does he have an existing condition, Mr Black?"

"No. But he hasn't had his, oh what are they called? The pointy thing that has the potion in it to stop him getting sick."

"His vaccinations? Mr Black, are you telling me that Harry has never had a single vaccination?"

"I don't think so. I'm only his guardian see, I have only been raising Harry since he was fifteen months old. So I can't be certain. But I brought along his record book, just in case."

"Oh, thank you, Mr Black. This will tell us everything we need to know. Hopefully you can be on your way soon, Harry."

Doctor Williams glanced at the first page of the book, and then blinked. Surely he had read it wrong. 'Drogonpox.' 'Spattergroit.' 'Vanishing Sickness.' Was this man having him on?

"Mr Black, I don't know what this book means, and right now I don't have the time to get to the bottom of it. But Harry is indeed in extreme danger if this book is telling the truth. Almost five years old and no vaccinations!"

"Can you do them now, Doctor?"

"No, I'm afraid not. I don't have all of the vaccinations I need. Come back in three days, I will be ready by then. And in the meantime, do not let Harry anywhere near other children. Or adults if you can help it."

Harry hated the new house. He hated the big backyard. But most of all, he hated the playground. If only he hadn't gone to that stupid playground, he wouldn't be stuck here with nothing to do. He wasn't even allowed to go with Moony to buy the groceries, or pick out his new curtains with Padfoot. Instead, he had to stay inside, away from every other person in the whole world. Because Padfoot said, he would get sick otherwise. He also said he had to have lots of needles. Harry didn't really know what that meant, but he knew that needles were sharp and pointy, and he had made his finger bleed on one once. If the Doctor was going to poke him with needles then maybe he'd rather stay hiding inside for the rest of his life.

"Ok Harry, this will just feel like a little squeeze, and then it will all be over."

Harry stared at the big, pointy needle in Doctor William's hand. He was right, the doctor was going to poke him and make him bleed! He knew he couldn't let that happen, and so he did the only thing he could think of - run.

Harry ran out of the little office and down the hallway, looking for somewhere to hide. He saw a cupboard on his left and darted inside just as Padfoot and Doctor Williams were about to catch up with him. He hoped desperately that they hadn't seen him, that they couldn't get inside the cupboard.

He heard banging on the cupboard door, and his heart soared. They couldn't get in!

"Harry, open the door, please."

"No!"

"Harry, no one is trying to hurt you. Doctor Williams needs to give you the needles, so you don't get sick."

"No! I'll stay inside forever!"

"Harry - "

"Excuse me, Mr Black? I have other patients I need to see. If you can get Harry out of the cupboard, I have space in one hour. Otherwise, you will need to come back another day."

"Thank you, Doctor. We will see you in an hour."

An hour later, Doctor Williams once again readied his needles. He was very confused by this little boy. He was not unfamiliar with needle phobias and had found more than one patient in that cupboard. But he knew for a fact that that cupboard could not be locked from the inside. Yet a four-year-old had managed to keep two grown adults out for almost half an hour.

Harry sat in front of him now, a sullen frown on his face. As Doctor Williams brought the needle towards Harry's arm, his frown deepened, and he turned to stare at the needle. Suddenly, Doctor William felt a rush of heat and dropped the needle in shock as it burst into flames. He didn't know what was going on with this child, but he had had enough.

"OUT!" he roared at Harry and his guardian. "NOW!"

Sirius was furious. It had been two weeks since the 'incident' with Doctor Williams, and the situation had gone from bad to worse. He had tried to call the medical centre to apologise, only to find that the number no longer existed. He had then booked Harry in with another Doctor, and then another, and another. And yet Harry still wasn't vaccinated, and there was only one Doctor left in the area who had not changed their number, banned them from the centre or both.

At each appointment Harry's behaviour had worsened. He had hidden not only himself, but every needle in the medical centre. He had made things fly, and blown up light bulbs. At the last appointment, he had led a riot among the other children waiting, and it had taken over two hours to find and calm them all down.

To make matters worse, the doctors all thought he was insane, a pathological liar or both. He knew it was his fault - he should have toned down the 'magic' stuff. But how was he supposed to know what was and wasn't typical for Muggles? He hadn't thought that he would cause any problems by asking whether it was normal for a child to sneeze fire, but perhaps upon reflection that would have been a better question for St Mungos or Madam Pomfrey.

Now he was left with only one option if they were ever going to be able to get medical care for Harry. It was time to call in the big guns.

Remus had spent the last two weeks trying to find out what exactly was going wrong with Harry's doctor's appointments, but Sirius had insisted that he could handle it. Yet now he found himself sitting in a cramped examination room alongside Harry and Sirius, apparently to "save the situation." He couldn't help but feel that if he had been at the first appointment, there would be no situation.

The feeling only intensified as Sirius handed Doctor Spencer a small red book. Surely it wasn't what he thought it was. Surely Sirius wasn't that stupid.

"Dragonpox . . . Spattergroit . . . Vanishing Sickness . . . Mr Black, what is the meaning of this?" Apparently, he was that stupid.

"Excuse me, Doctor Spencer. If I may talk to Sirius outside for a moment?"

"Go ahead, Mr Lupin."

Remus dragged Sirius out by the arm, and let him see the full extent of his frustration and annoyance. "You showed them magical records? Now, this is exactly why the doctor changed his number on us!"

"Remus, I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do."

"I'll tell you what to do. Stay quiet and let me do the talking from now on."

Seeing Sirius' nod of affirmation, Remus returned to the room, hoping his next gamble would pay off.

"Doctor Spencer, we've explained that we are Harry's guardians and that he was raised by his biological parents for his first fifteen months before they passed."

"Yes Mr Lupin, it's in Harry's file. How does that relate to his medical record?"

"Well, you see, his parents were anti-vaxxers." The shock on Doctor Spencer's face was visible, and Remus knew he had made the right decision.

"But these records, how does he have those?"

"Have you heard that saying about the truth and the appearance of truth being opposites? Harry's record is a prime example. Worried about potential audits, Harry's parents forged the records. But as you can see, they didn't know much about vaccinations, and they just made things up in the hope they would get past the authorities."

"I see. And now you want me to catch Harry up?"

"Doctor Spencer, Harry is starting school soon. He is in grave danger if he is not fully vaccinated. Plus he is a young, energetic boy. He wants to play with other children, and we haven't been able to allow that up until now. Circumstances have prevented us from vaccinating him since he came into our custody, but now we can, and it is up to you to do so."

"Thank you, Mr Lupin. I admit I was quite confused about Harry's record, but what you have said makes sense. I am unfortunately unable to give Harry his vaccinations today but come back tomorrow, and we will get started. It may take us some time to get him up to date."

"Thank you, Doctor Spencer, we appreciate your time. Come, Harry, we will see Doctor Spencer tomorrow."

Now he just had to convince Harry that the needles weren't going to hurt him...


End file.
